Cleveland teen: Resurrection is a 'powerful encounter' for youth

Cleveland teen: Resurrection is a 'powerful encounter' for youth

January 23, 2008

On Jan. 18-20 and Jan. 25-27, more than 12,000 youth and
counselors gather in Gatlinburg, Tenn., for Resurrection, Holston
Conference's annual spiritual retreat for teens. Here's what one
participant wrote about her experience.

It's a Friday night in Gatlinburg, Tenn., and teenagers from across
the Holston Conference are lined up outside Gatlinburg Convention
Center in 35-degree weather. Passersby might think Brad Pitt has just
entered the building. But what’s inside is something extraordinarily
different and far more powerful than any encounter with Brad Pitt.

It’s Resurrection 2008, an event where the lives of youth are
dramatically altered every year. This is the event that youth look
forward to all year long. It’s a time for youth to see old friends,
meet new ones, worship, fellowship, and -- like any good United
Methodist gathering -- eat fantastic food. Everyone is here and ready
to go. By the end of the weekend, Gatlinburg people won’t know what hit
them.

Music has significant impact on everyone’s lives in one
way or another. It has a way of reaching people like nothing else does,
so it’s no surprise that Resurrection has an amazing band every year.
The guests of honor this year is the band Starfield: three Canadians
and one mullet-wearing Texan. This is not Starfield's first visit to
the Smoky Mountains, for they blessed us with their music last year as
well. Their loyal fans couldn’t have been more elated to see them
return. At the mention of their name, thousands of screaming fans
rushed the stage to form a huge crowd around them.

However,
don’t be fooled into thinking that the only thing they have going
for them are their good looks and electric sound; their lyrics are
beautiful and truly inspiring. One could easily tell that Starfield is
a hit with the crowd from the hundreds of Starfield T-shirts worn by
everyone in sight from Friday until Sunday. Future Resurrection bands
will have big shoes to fill, as Starfield is truly loved by the fans at
Resurrection.

The speaker at Resurrection has an extremely
important task. The task is to bring the word of God to thousands of
teenagers from across the conference. He or she has to be someone who
youth can relate to and look up to, and this year the speaker did not
disappoint. This year we were blessed to have Rev. Lowell McNaney.
His message brought a question to many people’s minds: Why aren’t we
radical about God? One of his answers was fear. He taught the crowd an
African phrase that means, “I am not afraid of
anything.” For most of us, that phrase cannot be said honestly. The lives of
human beings are driven by fear. Fear keeps us from asking out the
person we like, or trying out for a sports team, or more importantly,
from spreading the word of God.

The Rev. McNaney demonstrated an important
lesson. He taught the group that with God in their lives, they no
longer have to be afraid. He taught them that the one ounce of fear in
their bodies doesn’t have to ruin their lives and keep them from living
out God’s plan or experiencing all that God has to offer. The
speaker made an impact on many lives and was a phenomenal
inspiration. Because of his powerful message, most teenagers and
chaperones were extremely grateful -- and forever changed.

Resurrection is not only made up of sessions at the Convention Center, but also of opportunities to get to know
the people in your youth group. There is free time before and after the
sessions -- the perfect time to spend together and walk the
streets of Gatlinburg. There’s time to eat, or ride the chairlift, or
take pictures with celebrities in the new wax museum. But all of these
things don’t compare to the time spent riding buses, playing pool, or
eating in restaurants with the members of your youth group. It’s a very
unique thing to meet teenagers who are as passionate about God as you
are. It’s a wonderful thing to experience, and all who do are
extremely lucky.

When
people come together at the start of Resurrection weekend, the majority
of them come as strangers -- either strangers to each other or strangers
to God. However, by the end of the weekend, they are no longer
strangers, but united as brothers and sisters in Christ. They are
united in a cause of living for God. It’s the most beautiful thing to
experience people being transformed into new individuals. Because of
Resurrection 2008, youth from across the Holston Conference will be
forever changed.

*Kirby is a youth member in a Cleveland District church. Some information is withheld to protect her privacy.